Effect of thinning, fertilization with biosolids, and weather on interannual ring specific gravity and carbon accumulation of a 55-year-old Douglas-fir stand in western Washington

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rapeepan Kantavichai ◽  
David G. Briggs ◽  
Eric C. Turnblom
Keyword(s):  
Specific Gravity ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Moisture Deficit ◽  
Biomass Equations ◽  
Mass Conversion ◽  
Western Washington ◽  
Average Wood

Marketing timber is shifting from logs, lumber, and veneer measured volumetrically to include carbon storage and energy that are based on dry mass. Conversion between volume and dry mass relies on accurate estimates of wood specific gravity (SG). We measured width and SG of growth rings and their earlywood and latewood components with X-ray densitometry on trees from controlled, thinned, biosolid fertilized, and combined treatments applied to a 55-year-old Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stand. We developed models to predict interannual SG from climate and treatment effects and compared 20 year changes in dry mass and carbon storage with estimates from biomass equations and from the Wood Handbook average SG. Thinning increased latewood width but did not affect ring SG. Biosolid fertilization increased earlywood and latewood width and decreased ring SG 8% by decreasing earlywood SG, latewood SG, and latewood percentage. SG decreased with increased July soil moisture deficit; alternatively, SG increased with increased July total precipitation. Warmer mean March–May or August–November temperatures also increased SG. Because of the effects on SG, dry mass and carbon storage changes differed from volume changes produced by the treatments. Dry mass estimates using the average Wood Handbook SG or those calculated from biomass equations were inconsistent between treatments, with errors up to 50%.

scholarly journals Biomass and dynamics of attached dead branches in the canopy of 450-year-old Douglas-fir trees

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 378-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Ishii ◽  
Tomoko Kadotani
Keyword(s):  
Tree Height ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Dead Branch ◽  
Western Washington ◽  
Term Monitoring ◽  
Branch Death

The amount, physical characteristics, and spatial distribution of attached dead branches in the canopy of 450-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) trees were studied over a 5-year period (1998–2003) to quantify their contribution to the canopy woody detritus pool of an old-growth Douglas-fir – western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) forest in the western Washington Cascades. We developed a five-class decay rating for attached dead branches. From the size distribution and relative amounts and vertical distribution of attached dead branches in the five decay classes, we inferred that death of large original branches had occurred in the recent past, followed by the production and death of epicormic branches. Tree height was an important variable for predicting branchwood dry mass per tree. We estimated that attached dead branches of Douglas-fir contributed 63.8% of the total canopy woody detritus pool of the stand. During the study period, 0.24%·year–1 of live branchwood mass died attached, and 0.37%·year–1 and 4.34%·year–1, respectively, of live- and dead-branch mass were lost due to branchfall and fragmentation. Because branch death and branchfall are stochastic processes, long-term monitoring in the canopy and on the ground is needed to understand the dynamics of canopy woody detritus.

scholarly journals Tree Diversity, Site Index, and Carbon Storage Decrease With Aridity in Douglas-Fir Forests in Western Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winnifred Jean Roach ◽  
Suzanne W. Simard ◽  
Camille E. Defrenne ◽  
Brian J. Pickles ◽  
Les M. Lavkulich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Tree Species Richness

Forests are important for biodiversity, timber production and carbon accumulation, but these ecosystem services may be impacted by climate change. Field data collected from individual forest types occurring across a climatic gradient can contribute to forecasting these consequences. We examined how changes in temperature, precipitation and aridity affect ecosystem services in 23 mature Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests in nine climatic regions across a 900 km gradient in British Columbia, Canada. Using Canadian National Forest Inventory methodology, we assessed richness and diversity of plant functional groups, site index, and above- and below-ground carbon stocks. As aridity increased, ecosystem-level tree species richness declined on average from four to one species, Douglas-fir site index declined from 30 to 15 m, and ecosystem carbon storage decreased from 565 to 222 Mg ha–1. Tree species richness was positively and herb species richness negatively correlated with carbon storage. Carbon storage by ecosystem compartment was largest in aboveground live tree biomass, declining in the following order: mineral soils > coarse woody debris and dead standing trees > forest floor > small and fine woody debris > understory plants. Mineral soil carbon at depths of 0-15 cm, 15-35 cm, and 35-55 cm increased with increasing mean annual precipitation and decreasing aridity. Our results indicate that as aridity increases and precipitation decreases, tree species richness, site index and carbon storage in existing Douglas-fir forests declines. However, assisted or natural migration of Douglas-fir into more humid regions could be associated with more diverse, productive, carbon-rich forests. This study informs carbon stock vulnerability and provides empirical data essential for carbon stock forecasts.

Nutrient and hormone levels in Douglas-fir corrosion cavities, megagametophytes, and embryos during embryony

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 2447-2456 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G Carman ◽  
Gordon Reese ◽  
Rodney J Fuller ◽  
Timnit Ghermay ◽  
Roger Timmis
Keyword(s):  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Chemical Analyses ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Hormone Levels ◽  
Corrosion Cavity ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Indole 3 Acetic Acid

Gymnospermous embryos are nourished by fluids secreted from the megagametophyte. During early embryony, these fluids occupy the newly formed corrosion cavity. We describe a novel method for extracting corrosion cavity fluid and provide chemical analyses based on extractions from approximately 120 000 Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) megagametophytes. Levels of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and iron were higher in corrosion cavity fluid than in whole tissue, but levels of sulphur and manganese were lower. Levels of cyclitols, sucrose equivalents, erythrose, and arabinose were many-fold higher in corrosion cavity fluid than in whole tissues. Ala, Ser, Arg, Glx, and NH3 exceeded 80 mmol/kg dry mass in corrosion cavity fluid. These levels were about 100-fold higher than those found in whole tissues. During early embryony, hormone levels in corrosion cavity fluid were higher than levels observed in whole megagametophytes by 120-fold for indole-3-acetic acid, 53-fold for abscisic acid, and 8- to 10-fold for cytokinins. Nutrient and hormone levels tended to be much higher in the corrosion cavity fluid than would have been predicted based on whole-tissue analyses. Dynamic changes in nutrient and hormone levels occurred over time in the corrosion cavity, and these changes may normalize embryony in situ.

Using volume-weighted average wood specific gravity of trees reduces bias in aboveground biomass predictions from forest volume data

2018 ◽  
Vol 424 ◽  
pp. 519-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Bienfaiteur Takougoum Sagang ◽  
Stéphane Takoudjou Momo ◽  
Moses Bakonck Libalah ◽  
Vivien Rossi ◽  
Noël Fonton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Gravity ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Volume Data ◽  
Wood Specific Gravity ◽  
Average Wood

Effects of Density Control and Fertilization on Log Wood Quality from a Douglas-fir Stand in Western Oregon, USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-201
Author(s):  
Rapeepan Kantavichai ◽  
Eric C Turnblom ◽  
Eini C Lowell
Keyword(s):  
Specific Gravity ◽  
Modulus Of Elasticity ◽  
Juvenile Wood ◽  
Wood Quality ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Quality Attributes ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Density Control ◽  
Heartwood Percentage

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effects of juvenile spacing (precommercial thinning), thinning, and fertilization on Douglas-fir butt log (first 4.9 m) and second log (4.9–10 m) quality attributes: juvenile wood percentage, heartwood percentage, rings per inch, specific gravity, and modulus of elasticity. A 41-year-old, 36.6 m site index Douglas-fir stand in western Oregon, USA was selected as the first stand to explore. Nine common silviculture pathway treatments of juvenile spacing, thinning, and fertilization were applied to independent 0.404-hectare plots. Ninety-nine trees were felled and disks cut at five heights along the stem. Wood properties were measured and calculated from the disks for log quality attributes. There was no effect of silvicultural treatments on log heartwood percentage, but significant effects on other log quality attributes were observed. Juvenile wood percentage and rings per inch declined with stand density control and fertilization treatment. Responses to thinning and fertilization in log specific gravity depend on juvenile spacing. Also, thinning and juvenile spacing were shown to have impacts on log modulus of elasticity.

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